Ian Pelz Battles to the Top to Win the $300 Gladiators of Poker

How It Started

Yuanzhi Cao of China topped the final 13 heading into Day 3. Remarkably, Pelz came in second last place with around 11 big blinds. 

It wasn’t long before the first elimination came across the final two tables. Bradley Moore was the first to hit the rail and the last Brit standing in the field. He came into Day 3 with around 10 big blinds and shipped ace-four off suit from the big blind versus Manuel Reyes who had queen-ten suited from the hijack. 

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman  

Reyes made a queen-high straight to leave Moore with no more chips. Albert Felacra was then left short in a multiway pot, which was claimed by Joseph Butler. 

The last remaining Bracelet winner in the field, Roland Israelashvilli, doubled up with Big Slick versus Timothy Thorp, who had pocket fours. Thorp flopped a set but Israelashvilli went runner-runner to make a Wheel. 

Short Stacks Spin Up

Pelz scored his first double by cracking Cao’s ace-king offsuit with ace-nine off suit. Pelz jammed on the button before Cao iso-raised from the small blind. 

Ken Takayama was next to double up, and he also cracked Big Slick, which was in the hands of Manuel Reyes. Takayama shoved his short stack from under the gun with King-four suited and Reyes had him covered from the big blind. 

Photo Credit: Eloy Cabacas

Takayama flopped the nut-flush leaving Reyes drawing dead. He didn’t last much longer though, and he shoved ace-ten suited on the button. 

Pelz continued to spin up as he made his call with pocket nines proved fruitful. He called from the big blind and held across a jack-high runout to soar up to second in the chip counts. 

Israelashvili Scores Triple KO, Final Table Reached

Thorp, Felarca, and Ramond Taksh found all their chips in the middle in a four-way affair shortly after Takayama was taken out. 

Thorp was the shortest, and he jammed ace-three offsuit from the hijack for around two and a half big blinds. Felarca then raised over the top for around ten with ace-queen offsuit.

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

Taksh then came over the top of them both with eights in the small blind. Israelashvilli then asked for the rest, around two big blinds more, as he woke up with Cowboys in the big blind. 

There was no sweat for Israelashvilli as his kings became kings and deuces across the runout to stack three players and bring in the start of final table play. 

Sim Chips Up, Cao Trends Down

Sang Sim quickly took the chiplead courtesy of a three-way pot with Reyes and Israelashvili. Reyes’s stack was next to take a hit, as Cao rivered Broadway in a blind v blind spot. Reyes then took another hit versus Butler, and the former had lost around half his stack in two hands. 

Photo Credit: Eloy Cabacas

Santiago Trujillo was also short-stacked, but he scored a double through Pelz who jammed from the small blind with king-six offsuit. Trujillo had ace-ten offsuit and hit top boat to secure a crucial double up. 

Sim continued to climb as he made top boat on a board containing a full house runout. The board was checked through to a ten river, which Cao check-called a bet of five big blinds. He was shown ace-ten offsuit for tens full of threes and Cao mucked. 

Reyes With Rockets, Trujillo Taken Out

Reyes left Trujillo with crumbs as he shoved aces from the small blind over a cutoff open from Sim. Trujillo called as the covering stack with ace-eight suited, and Sim folded. There was no miracle runout, but his final three million became fifteen after a quintuple up. 

Photo Credit: Eloy Cabacas

Trujillo then moved all in for that 15,000,000 with king-ten offsuit from the cutoff and Jesus Rodrigues snap-called with aces in the small blind. The Argentinian couldn’t survive, and he was the final table bubble boy. 

Final Table Play

Joseph Butler came into final table play third in chips. Sang Sim had crossed the 200,000,000 chip mark and Reyes occupied second place. 

Despite his position, Butler was the first to hit the rail after an ill-timed squeeze versus the chipleader. 

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

Sim opened aces for the minimum raise, Israelashvili called with sevens before Butler jammed around 20 big blinds with ace-nine suited. Sim called, and Israelashvilli folded. He would’ve scooped a huge one as he would have flopped a set. Butler had a flush draw, but Sim’s rockets propelled him further into the lead. 

Israelashvilli was next to depart, jamming nines for just over ten bigs from under the gun. Pelz called in the cutoff and made a superior two pair to take him second.

Pelz Chips Up, Field Quickly Thins

Peltz kept the pressure up. He four-bet jammed king-seven offsuit versus Reyes who had queen-ten offsuit to scoop a sizeable one, putting a bit of daylight between himself in second, and the now relegated Reyes to third.

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

Cao was the clear short stack. He managed to double through Sim before departing via Reyes, who jammed ace-seven suited into Cao’s ace-queen. Reyes made the nut flush and Cao’s run came to an end. 

Minutes late Jesus Rodriguez saw his last four and a half bigs find the middle with king-four off in the small. Sang Sim called with king-queen offsuit in the big and made second pair to bust Rodriguez. 

Reyes Falls, Heads Up Begins

Not long since Rodriguez’s departure came that of Reyes. As the blinds moved to 4m/8m with an 8m big blind ante, Rodriguez ace-ten fell short against Sim’s pocket eights. His snowmen became three on the turn and Reyes chances of winning melted as the chips were moved away from him. 

Sim had a 2:1 lead on Pelz, and the players went back and forth from the ff, trading pot after pot. 

Sim took the lead winning a decent pot with king high versus Pelz’s missed gutshot draw, but Pelz won a big one of his own a few hands level to draw within 100,000,000 of the leader. 

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

Pelz maintained momentum and took the lead after for the first time in the contest. He slowplayed aces and had a wager called on the flop and he took the lead by winning back-to-back three-bet pots with king-nine suited and ace-king offsuit. 

It wasn’t long after that till all the chips were in the middle. 

Peltz made a flush with five-eight suited which bested the queen-high straight of Sim. Sim three-bet pre and led flop with queen-high on an ace-high board. Pelz called with a pair of eights. 

Sim check-called a sizeable wager on the ten of clubs turn, which presented the flush draw to Peltz and a route to a straight for Sim. 

He got there, but Peltz got there more on the flush completing nine of clubs turn. Sim jammed and Peltz call, and only one gladiator remained standing in the area with a whole lot of money and a wrist adorned in gold.

About The Winner: Who is Ian Pelz?

Ian Pelz is an American poker player who has a recorded total live earnings of $1,000,094. He finished first in Event #67: $300 Gladiators of Poker for $420,680 and third in Event #60: $3,000 Limit Hold’em at the 2025 WSOP Vegas for $85,431.

Photo Credit: Alicia Skillman

Gladiators of Poker: Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Ian Pelz		$420,680
2	Sang Sim		$300,160
3	Manuel Reyes		$219,410
4	Jesus Rodriguez (CA)		$167,730
5	Yuanzhi Cao		$128,970
6	Roland Israelashvili		$100,120
7	Joseph Butler (IN)		$77,580